Pipe elevator



Patented Dec. 15 1953 OFFICE PIPE ELEVATOR 7 Walter E. Kittler, Mandan,N. nit..- Application May 19, 1951, Serial No. 227,158 1 Claim. (01.294-91) This invention relates to a pipe elevator particularly designedto greatly facilitate letting well pipe down into a prepared wellopening.

It has always been a relatively slow and tedious job to lower well pipeinto a drilled opening or casing since the pipe sections being let downinto the opening must be held in supported relation at all times toprevent the pipe assembly from dropping into the opening and permitsuccessive sections to be connected before being controllably let downinto the prepared opening.

It is an object of my invention to provide a pipe elevator designed tosecurely hold a coupling equipped section of pipe to initially permitsaid section to be raised into connection position to facilitateconnection with said section by the pipe section disposed immediatelytherebelow as by being screwed into the coupling of said lower pipesection and thereafter permit said upper pipe section to be lowered intothe drilled opening and held in suspended relation until the nextsuccessive section is connected therewith, said elevator being thenshiftable into releasing position to permit the upper section andelevator connected therewith to be passed therethrough to permit removalof said released elevator for use in connecting and lowering the nextsuccessive pipe section.

More specifically, it is an object to provide a pipe elevator having anenlarged loop in the upper portion and a diminished neck opening in thelower portion thereof. The extreme lower portion of said diminished neckbeing bent out at right angles to the normally vertical upper neckportion and upper enlarged opening, said uppper opening and upper neckportion being such size as to permit passage of a vertically disposedsimilarly shaped elevator therethrough when said loop upper neckopenings are positioned horizontally.

These and other objects and advantages of my invention will more fullyappear from the following description made in connection with theaccompanying drawings wherein like reference characters refer to thesame or similar parts throughout the several views and in which;

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of my improved pipe elevator;

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of a pair of elevators showing one elevatorbeing passed through the other;

Fig. 3 is a side elevational view partially in section showing a pair ofmy improved elevators in operative position;

Fig. 4 is a horizontal sectional view showing one of my elevators inretaining position at the top of a well casing and Fig. 5 is a sideelevational view showing one of the elevators being positioned to permitthe same to be passed upwardly around the other vertically disposed pipesupporting elevator.

As illustrated in the accompanying drawings I provide a pipe elevatorhaving an enlarged upper loop 8. The lower portions 9 of said loop 8extend downwardly in spaced relation to form a diminished neck openingl0 therebetween and the end extremities of said lower depending portions9 are joined in fixed relation to form a key hole shaped enclosedopening, said depending portions 9 being bent at right angles in spacedrelation upwardly from the closed lower end of the neck I0 to form anoutstanding gripping flange I I.

My improved pipe elevators are particularly designed for use in pairs todrop well pipe into a previously prepared opening such as into thecasing l2 shown in Figs. 3, 4 and 5. A pair of spaced abutment stops l3are mounted across the top opening of casing I2 and are securelyanchored in predetermined spaced relation by being fixed to thesupporting blocks 14 which are adapted to engage the top of casing [2,as illustrated, or otherwise support the two stops l3. The width of theneck opening I0 is just slightly greater than the outside diameter ofthe pipe I5 to be received therein and is substantially smaller than theoutside diameter of a pipe coupling such as the coupling IS. The pipesection I5 is inserted through the neck opening I0 with the coupling [6passing through the enlarged loop portion 8. Said coupling is thenlowered into engagement with the gripping flange II and the dependingportions 9 to permit the pipe section to be raised by any suitablemeans, such as the overhead crane supported cable ll, having the thehook l8 received in the upper portion of loop 8. The pipe section isthen lowered between the two stops l3 and blocks l4 down into the casingI2 until the lower surface of the gripping flange ll engages the stopsl3, as shown in Fig. 3. The hook I8 is then removed from the loop 8 ofthat elevator and the other elevator is mounted on the next pipe sectionIS in a similar manner and the second pipe section is raised intoconnection position and held there until the lower end is threadablyconnected with the lower coupling It. When this connection has beenmade, the entire interconnected pipe assembly is raised a short distanceto release the pressure on the lower elevatorand permit the same to beshifted downwardly into horizontal position as shown in Fig. 5, andpermit the coupling and upper elevator to be passed completelytherethrough, thus permitting the lower elevator to be removed over theupper elevator for subsequent use in lifting, connecting and loweringthe next successive pipe section.

It will be seen that an extremely ingenious, highly eificient pipeelevator has been provided which is particularly adapted for use inpairs when lowering-well pipe into a prepared opening. The enlargedloop-at the upper'portion of the elevator combines with the upper neckportion It! to permit one elevator to be passed through the. other, asshown in Fig. 2, thus greatly facilitatingand speeding up the entireoperation. It should be noted that difierent sized elevammwouldlnemessarily be required for the variouspipe sizes,, but since there arerelatively'fewstandard pipe sizes for wells, this would be a relativelysimple matter.

ltewill, of. course be understood. that various changes may be made intheiorrn details arrangement. and proportions v of the parts withoutdeparting from-the scope Zo f-my invention.

What I claim is:

A pipe elevator comprising; anienlarged: upper than the outside widthloop terminating at its lower end in a diminished neck portion closed atits lower end to form a keyhole-shaped opening therein with an elongateddiminished neck portion, said elongated diminished neck opening having asharp right angle bend in an intermediate portion thereof to form anoutstanding gripping flange at the lower portion of the elevator forgripping and securely anchoring a pipe coupling after the same has beeninserted through the said enlarged upper loop, the insidediameter ofsaidenlarged loop portion being sufficiently large to permit the outstandingflange to be passed therethrough and the combined length of the enlargedloop portion with the length of the portion of said diminishedneck-disposed above said flange being greater of said enlarged loop.WALTER E. KITTLER.

References Cited in: the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTSNumber Name Date 404,615 G-iroux June 4, 1889 733,989 Morris July 2-1,1903 1,412,182 Kuhlman Apr. 1-1, 1922

